Shoe and shank stiffener therefor



May 31, 1932. Q H, THELEN 1,860,437

SHOE AND sHANK STIFFENER THEREFOR Filed Feb. 15, 1928 Patented. iMay 31, Y 1932 OTTO H. L. THELEN', OF LYNN, lVIASSACHUSETTSi Y SHOE AND SEANK STIFFENER THREFOR Application filed February 16, 1928. Serial'No. 254,653.

lt has been customary to reinforce the shank portions of shoes withstnfening strips,

usually of metal, extending from the heel por?.i

tions along the Shanks to approximatelyhe break line of the shoe, often slightly forwardly of this line. When the heelsr are very highv avery considerable stress is placedV on these stieners during use and as heretofore constru'cted there has been considerable trouble from breakage of the stieners in high heeled shoes about in line with the forward` edgesy of the heels. In the case of a McKay shoe the stiener must be quite narrow at the narrowest part of the 'shank in order to clear the needle of the McKay stitcher. i

The present invention has for its chief ob- Vject the production of a shoe stiffener considerably stronger than now commonly used but which is suiiiciently narrow atrthe narrowest part of the shoe shank to permit it to be used in McKay as well as in shoes of other types and which it is unnecessary to extend forwardly of the breakline.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference `may behad to the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure kl is a `perspective ofthe stiifener particularly suitable Y for y use in a McKay shoe. A e

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan of the shoe, the sock lining being removed, showing the position of the stiifener with relation to the McKay stitching. l e

Figure 3 is afragmentary central longifV tudinal section through a McKay shoe showing the stiifener in-position. y

Figure i is a detail section on line l-- of Figure 3.` Y

Figures 5 and 6 are sections somewhat similar to Figure i but showing a turn and a welt shoe, respectively.

Referring to Figure l it will be seen that the stiifener comprises a strip of metal l which is molded longitudinally to the longitudinal curvature of theshank. Intermediate its ends this strip is provided with a stiffening rib 2, its side portions 3 merging with flat portions l and 5 at the forward and rear Vends of the rib 2. rIhe marginal portions 3 are of greatest width adjacent to therear end belongs.

to the narrowest portion at the point 6 toward theforward end of the stiener. This narrowest portion, when the stifl'ener is inY a shoe, is positioned substantially at the nare.

portion of the rib 2 as at 7 and'taper in width i;

rowest portion of the shank as at 8 where the of kthis .point the stitchesdiverge andthe total widthof ytheshank-stiffener may. thus be increased towardthe heel end of the shoe Without. coming suiiicientlyl close to the McKay stitches tov-cause liability of the McKay needle.V striking the stiener. It will be seen that 'the shank stiener, being.4`

lines of McKay stitching 9 (see Figure 2) I rapproach nearest toeachlother. Rearwardly tapered, is somewhat wedge shape and that its outeraedges closely parallel the lines of the McKay stitching from'the heel portion vforwardly to their points Ofleast spacing.

Pressure' exerted on the intermediate portion of the stiffener, as by th-e weight of the wearer,

thus tends to wedge .the shank piece more tightly .in position againstJ the edges of the upper material inwardly of these stitch lines,

holding the stiffener from longitudinal slipping and relieving the end yfastenings, as

later described, from some oftheload which otherwise would be imposed thereon. Also sinceithe stitches come close tothe edge of th-e stiifener the showing of ridges on the outer face of the outersole at the edges of the stiii'ener is prevented. As the stiiener is symmetrical onop'posite sides of lits longitudinal axisthe same stiifener is applicable to either right kor left shoes. Here-tofore it has been usual practice tov extend the stiiiener forwardly of the break line of the sole in order tojaiford a bearing for the stif'fener on the forepart lof the solein an attempt to counteract to some extent the tendency of the stiener to move forwardly due to the weight of ythe wearer. This, however, stiifens the shoe sole at about the break line which `is not desirable in high heel shoes as it interferes ing and causes the shoe to be uncomfortable.

The rear end of the stifener back of the with the natural flexing of the foot in walk,-y .95

point 7 is shown as narrowed so as to avoid interference with the attaching nails when wood heels are used and forms a flat plate portion at 16 which may be provided, if desired, with means by which the stiflener may be fixed in the shoe. Any suitable means may be employed but as shown the fastening means comprises a pair of prongs 11 formed by striking material from the portion 16 in opposite directions, these prongs being driven into the adjacent sole member. At the forward end the stiffener may be provided with attaching means, and as herein shown these comprise the prongs 12 similar to the prongs 11. There the stiffener is to be used in a McKay shoe these prongs are downwardlyextended in order that the stiffener may be fixed to the outersole. In Vthe case of turns and welts they would ordinarily ybe struck upwardly in order to be fixed to the innersole or shank piece, respectively.

`'Ihe widest portion of the stiffener at the point 7 comes substantially in line with the forward edgeof'the heel 15, as shown'in Figure 3, thus providing the greatest amount of metal at this point where breakage is most likely'to occur, ,while the forward portion of the stiffener is sonarrow that it may lie sufficiently inwardly of the McKay stitches to be used satisfactorily in a McKayr shoe.

Preferably, particularly when used for McKay work, these stiffeners are formed initially straight longitudinally, but 'with the longitudinal stiffening rib, and are then molded to longitudinal curvature simultaneously with the molding of the sole members to which they are attached, this general method being that described and claimed in the Bartels Patent No. 1,619,648, granted March 1 1927.

,As shown in Figure 4, the stifener lies between the inner sole 20 and the outersole 21 of the McKay shoe between the'stiteh lines l9. When used in a turn shoe the stiffener is fixed to the shank piece..as shown at 22 in Figure 5, and lies between its lower face and the `upper face of the turn sole 23. In the case of the welt shoe the stiffener is fixed to the innersole 25 and lies between this and the outer sole 26.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1.. A shoe shank stiffener comprising a rigid metal strip symmetrical about a longi- K tudinal axis ,and molded Vlengthwise to the desired contour and having a centrallongitudinally extending stiffening rib formed by opposite side portions, said ridge forming side portions being of greatest width adjacent to the rear end of the stiffener and narrowing toward its forward end, the forward end of said stiffener terminating at least as far back as the break line of the sole.

2. A shoe sh ank stiffener comprising a rigid metal strip molded lengthwise to the desired contour and having a central longitudinally extending stiffening rib formed by opposite sides which merge with fiat portions at the ends of said rib, said sides being of greatest width toward the rear end of the stiffener and narrowing toward its forward end and symmetrical on opposite sides of its central. longitudinal axis, and said end portions being constructed for rigid attachment to a shoe sole member, the forward end of said stiffener terminating at least as far back as the break line of the sole.

3. A shoe of the McKay type having inner and outersoles, upper materials having their margins extended between said soles and secured thereto by lines of McKay stitches convergingforwardly of the heel breast` and a shank stiffener between said inner and outer-` soles and said margins bent laterally along a median line with its concave face adjacent to said innersole, the side edges of said stiffener converging forwardly of the heel breast and closely paralleling the lines of McKay stitching. whereby pressure exerted upon the intermediate portion of the stiffener tends to wedge the stiffener more tightly in place against the edges of the upper and hold it from longitudinal slipping.

4. A shoe of the McKay type having inner and outersoles, upper materials having their margins extended between said soles and secured thereto by lines of McKay stitches converging forwardly of the heel breast. and a shank stiffener between said inner and outersoles and margins, the side edges of said stiffener converging forwardly of the heel breast and closely paralleling the lines of McKay stitching. whereby pressure exerted upon the intermediate portion of the stifi'encr tends to wedge the stiffener more tightly in place against the edges of the upper and hold it from longitudinal slipping.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

OTTO H. L. THELEN. 

